Changeless Champion

New Year's Eve

"Of old hast Thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of Thy hands. They shall perish, but Thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt Thou change them, and they shall be changed: but Thou art the same, and Thy years shall have no end. The children of Thy servants shall continue, and their seed shall be established before Thee" (Psalm 102:25-28).

Changing seasons, setting sun,
Falling leaves, and withering herb:
All will change except that One
Neither time nor age disturb.

Savior, Champion, and Creator:
Jesus Christ, our sovereign Lord!
Changeless love, there is none greater,
Than His love that was outpoured.

Every time-constrained endeavor:
Time consumes and age shall claim.
Yesterday, today, forever,
Christ shall always be the same!

Let this be our confidence
As the old year soon is gone:
Jesus Christ is our Defense,
It is His love we lean in upon.

Remember your Redemption

"Thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt, and the Lord thy God redeemed thee thence" (Deuteronomy 24:18). "Speak evil of no man... showing meekness unto all men. For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving diverse lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But after that the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared" (Titus 3:2-4).

Remember you were also lost;
Yes, bring it oft to mind,
Before you knew redemption's cost,
And found that God was kind.

Foolish, hateful, and deceived,
We too have had our part
In hopelessness till we received
A new birth and new heart.

Thus we ought to sympathize
And pray for those we know,
Whom we might tend to criticize,
Instead of kindness show.

Adorn and Adore

"Adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things" (Titus 2:10).

Adorn the doctrine of our God,
Accountably to Christ our Savior.
And never mind if men applaud
Or scorn you for your good behavior.

It's not their praise that you live for,
Nor is it to avoid their scorn;
But rather that they might adore
Our God whose doctrine you adorn.

Looking at Life

Born Again Birthday (December 28, 1973)

"All men forsook me.... Notwithstanding, the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me" (2 Timothy 4:16,17).

Looking back on life
I cannot be mistaken:
In every toil and strife,
I never was forsaken.

Though friends did not abide
When trials ran their length,
The Lord stood at my side
And He gave me His strength.

P.S. Today marks the 33rd year that I have been born again into the family of God by His grace. Happy day!!!

Compassion and the Curse

"The Lord hath made known His salvation: His righteousness hath He openly showed in the sight of the heathen. He hath remembered His mercy and His truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God" (Psalm 98:2,3). ""He that is hanged is accursed of God.... The Lord thy God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee, because the Lord thy God loved thee" (Deuteronomy 21:23, 23:5).

Because our Savior loved us,
For us He was accursed.
Crucified He suffered thus,
And took this world's worst.

What mercy God has fashioned!
What truth He has displayed!
What marvelous compassion
Our ransom thus has paid!

Appraising our Approval

"Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15).

Approved unto God: yes, this is the goal!
Let this be the standard we rightly have raised.
Lesser objectives will injure the soul!
Stand before God and thus be appraised.

Study God's Word, and be not ashamed,
Giving an answer to all who will ask.
Whether commended or whether defamed,
Stand before God, approved in His task.

Day after Day

CHRISTMAS DAY

"Sing unto the Lord, bless His name; show forth His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the heathen, His wonders among all people. For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised" (Psalm 96:2-4). "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given... and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6).

Christmas with all of its carols and cheer,
Adorned with its bright decoration,
Soon will be over, as will the old year;
Not so of God's wondrous salvation!

Bright wrapping paper is all put away.
Trimmings are once again stored.
What does that matter, as day after day,
We celebrate Jesus our Lord?

For great is our Lord! And great is His praise,
For all that He is and has done!
Declare it on Christmas, and all of our days:
God sent to world His Son!

To us, as promised, a Child is born;
To us His Son He thus gave.
God kept His promise, just as He had sworn,
And keeps His promise to save.

Day after day, then, declare it again,
That Jesus descended to earth.
Tell of His tomb, His cross, and of when
He came to us through humble birth.

Tell that He lives to save evermore
Each one who will trust Him today.
Day after day, His praise we explore,
Though Christmas has long passed away.

Heeding or Hardened?

CHRISTMAS EVE

"Today if ye will hear His voice, harden not your heart" (Psalm 95:7,8).

Today if you will hear His voice,
God isn't hard to hear.
Just turn away from empty noise,
And to the Lord draw near.

God is speaking from the manger,
As Lord of all, born humbly thus;
From the cross speaks of our danger,
Dying there to rescue us.

God is speaking from the tomb,
Thus victorious o'er the grave.
At your heart's door, calls for room:
Will you let Him in to save?

God is speaking from His Word:
"Come unto Me," we hear Him say.
Now that you have clearly heard,
Harden not your heart today.

Loss of Logic

"They say, The Lord shall not see.... He that formed the eye, shall He not see? .... The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity" (Psalm 94:7,9,11).

There is a mental vanity
When logic is dismissed,
Where reason pleads insanity
And foolishness is kissed.

This error in the human mind
Pertains to God our Lord.
How strangely in this realm we find
Sound logic is ignored.

The human eye has such design
That obviously shows
The One who formed it is Divine,
Who sees, Who hears, Who knows.

Yet in the name of so-called science
The world dismisses God.
And few will question its defiance,
And few will think it odd.

Escape from inconsistency
That blinds the mind of some!
The truth in Christ shall make those free
Who seek Him and will come.

Waning Waves

"The floods have lifted up, Oh Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves. The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea. Thy testimonies are very sure: holiness becometh Thine house, Oh Lord, forever" (Psalm 93:3-5).

The floods have lifted up their voice;
The floods have lifted up their waves.
It is the old familiar noise,
The fool against the Lord still raves.

The answer of God's Word is sure;
So is the consecrated life.
The waves shall wane, but these endure
Beyond this world's noisy strife.

Mystery of Mercy

"And without controversy great is the mystery of Godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory" (1 Timothy 3:16).

The mystery of Christ is not that He came;
For history shows that He did.
The mystery is not to discover His fame,
For the life He lived was not hid.

This is the mystery: that He came to die
In order that I might be free.
The mystery is not WHAT He did, but WHY
Would He so set His love upon me?

Without and Within

"Even a child is know by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right.... The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of the belly" (Proverbs 20:11,27). "Moreover, he must have a good report of them which are without, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil" (1 Timothy 3:7).

Without and within
Lord, You see it all.
The motive of sin,
The pride before fall.

Within and without
Behold from above,
Purge be from doubt,
And fill me with love.

Teaching on Time

"So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.... And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us: and establish Thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish Thou it" (Psalm 90:12,17). "For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 2:3,4).

Teach us, Oh Lord, to number our days,
Doing Your will instead of our own.
This is our wisdom: to walk in Your ways,
Pointing to Jesus, and Jesus alone.

Teach us, Oh Lord, to truly be wise,
Living with love and not merely duty.
Cause us to see the lost through Your eyes;
Cause us to shine, reflecting Your beauty.

Sound of Salvation

"Justice and judgment are the habitation of Thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before Thy face. Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, Oh Lord, in the light of Thy countenance. In Thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in Thy righteousness shall they be exalted" (Psalm 89:14-16).

The joyful sound is ringing
With increasing jubilation:
The hearts sinners singing
Set free by God's salvation!
Thanksgiving they are bringing
With praise and exaltation!
In Jesus joy abounds!
This is the joyful sound!

Capably Called

"Faithful is He that calleth you, Who also will do it" (1 Thessalonians 5:24).

Faithful is He Who now calls you;
His power will also suffice,
To go through whatever befalls you,
To honor your Lord Jesus Christ.

Faithful is He Who has found you,
To give you the peace that you need.
Though storms everyday may surround you,
He speaks, and the winds pay Him heed.

Faithful is He Who commands you;
Let this be your comfort today.
He loves you, He best understands you,
And He gives you grace to obey.

Glorious Gates

"The Lord loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God.... The Lord shall count, when He writeth up the people, that this man was born there" (Psalm 87:2,3,6).

The glorious gates of Zion above,
More than the dwellings of earth,
Are where God has settled His infinite love,
And valued as priceless in worth.

For these are the gates where sinners come in
When they have received Jesus Christ.
This man was born there and cleansed of His sin,
By the blood of God's Lamb sacrificed.

Harried Heart

"Teach me Thy way, Oh Lord; I will walk in Thy truth: unite my heart to fear Thy name" (Psalm 86:11).

Oh Lord, unite my harried heart
To fear Your name alone.
Show the peace You thus impart;
Through me, Lord, make it known.

Price of Peace

"I will hear what God the Lord will speak: for He will speak peace unto His people, and to His saints.... Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other" (Psalm 85:8,10).

God the Lord has spoken peace,
But He did more than speak.
He could not compromise the least
The judgment peace must seek.

Alas, we had no righteousness!
God knew what He must do
To pay the price that He might bless
And save His people too.

Righteousness and peace have kissed,
For God has reconciled
All the righteousness we missed
Because we were defiled.

Oh the price love had to pay!
For us our Savior died!
He purchased peace that He might say
Our debt is satisfied!

Ministry Mandate

"Blessed is the man who strength is in Thee... who passing through the valley of Baca (weeping) make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools. They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God" (Psalm 84:5-7). "And say to Archippus, Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfill it" (Colossians 4:17).

Take heed to the ministry you have received;
Stand before God for His strength every hour.
Hearts that are broken, unsolaced, and grieved
Wait for God's healing conveyed by His power.

Errors of Eyes

"Ye shall not do after all the things that we do her this day, every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes" (Deuteronomy 12:8). "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise" (Proverbs 12:15). "Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eye service, as men pleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God" (Colossians 3:22).

Let us not do what is right in our eyes,
Nor only what's right in the eyes of others.
Let us fear God, and thus we'll be wise
In our Father's sight, sisters and brothers.

Affection Above

"If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things of the earth" (Colossians 3:1,2).

Seek those things which are above,
Not the temporal things of earth.
Set your heart on Jesus' love
And on His everlasting worth.

Properly Preeminent

"Giving thanks to the Father... Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son.... the Firstborn of every creature.... the Firstborn from the dead; that in all things He might have the preeminence" (Colossians 1:12-18).

We're brought out of darkness, translated to light,
Into the kingdom of God's holy Son.
How thrilling it is, how gracious, how right,
That Jesus should be the preeminent One!

Jesus, the Firstborn of all of creation,
Lord of the universe, Maker of all,
The Firstborn from death, the Lord of salvation,
We worship You, Lord, and on Your name call.

This is our prayer, as we call on Your name:
Come, Lord, and take in our hearts the first place!
You took the lowest place, bearing our shame;
Receive now our praise for Your marvelous grace!

Walk Worthy

"And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all His ways, and to love Him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, to keep the commandments of the Lord, and His statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?.... He is thy praise, and He is thy God, that hath done for thee these great and terrible things, which thine eyes have seen" (Deuteronomy 10:12,13,21). "That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God" (Colossians 1:10).

What does the Lord thy God require
But to fear Him, to walk in His ways,
To love Him, and serve Him with all your desire?
He is your God and He your praise!

All His commandments are given for good,
And all with His power are found.
Let us walk worthy, therefore, as we should;
Let fruit for His pleasure abound!

Intercession for His Inheritance

"The Lord spake unto me, saying, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people.... I prayed therefore unto the Lord, and said.... Yet they are Thy people and Thine inheritance, which Thou broughtest out by Thy mighty power and by Thy stretched out arm" (Deuteronomy 9:13, 26, 29). "Wherefore I also... cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers... that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of His inheritance in the saints" (Ephesians 1:15-18). "Therefore my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved" (Philippians 4:1).

They are dearly beloved, yet stubborn as well.
Pray for the people of God gone astray.
God's own inheritance, oft will rebel;
It's easy to criticize, harder to pray.

They need intercession, not only reproof.
Pray for the saints whose hearts have grown cold.
Pray, plead, reprove, but don't stand aloof,
Lest your heart be hardened like those you behold.

Mind for the Mark

"I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.... This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:12-14).

Forgetting those things which now are behind
And reaching for things which yet are before,
Lord, help me to focus my wandering mind
On that which Your hand apprehended me for.

The calling of God: yes, this is the prize!
This is the reason for which I would live!
Lord, give me the heart and open my eyes
To press for the mark of the calling You give.

Humbled by Hunger

"And He humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know, that He might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live" (Deuteronomy 8:3).

Every word that God has said
In this dry and barren land
Satisfies us with His bread
From His faithful, gracious hand.

If I never hungered so,
I would not have been humbled.
If I never longed to know,
In darkness I'd have stumbled.

I needed bread that satisfies;
Yet needed hunger too!
You taught me, Lord, to realize
My hunger was for You.

Thank you, Lord! I see it now
Here in Your sanctuary.
How lovingly You show me how
You give what's necessary.

Should and Shall

"Vow, and pay unto the Lord your God: let all that be round about Him bring presents unto Him that OUGHT to be feared" (Psalm 76:11). "Unto Me every knee SHALL bow, every tongue SHALL swear" (Isaiah 45:23). "Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee SHOULD bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and that every tongue SHOULD confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2:9-11).

One day every knee shall bow
Exalting Jesus' worth.
Yet every knee should do so now
Before He comes to earth.

One day every mouth shall say
That Christ is Lord of all.
We ought to say it everyday
As on His name we call.

Jesus, name above all names,
To You we pay our vow
To join the host that now proclaims
Your Lordship even now.

Privilege of our Promotion

"Thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God: the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto Himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth" (Deuteronomy 7:6). "Promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the Judge: He putteth down one, and setteth up another" (Psalm 75:6,7). "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21).

Above all people on the earth
There is no higher plain
Than life in Christ for all its worth,
Then death for all its gain.

What a privilege is ours
Who have it thus both ways!
Heaven waits beyond the stars,
And Christ fills all our days!

What a Savior! What salvation
He has thus bestowed,
That raised us to this elevation,
Paying what we owed!

It's okay to show emotion,
To weep or shout for joy:
God has purchased our promotion,
Which no one can destroy!

Acknowledging His Arising

"Arise, O God, plead Thine own cause.... The tumult of those that rise up against Thee increaseth continually" (Psalm 74:22:23). "In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct Thy paths.... For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken" (Proverbs 3:6,26). "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Ephesians 6:12).

Arise, Oh God, and plead today
Your cause for souls in this late hour.
We see the battle in array
Is much too great for our small power.

Arise, Oh God, from Your great throne;
We wrestle not with flesh and blood.
The battle now is Yours alone
Against this rising evil flood.

Arise, Oh God, against this tide
That everyday we see increase.
Powers of darkness can't abide
Wherever You command Your peace.

Arise, Oh God, receive our praise:
For the battle Jesus won,
When on His cross that shout He raised:
"It is finished!" Praise the Son!

Arise, Oh God, as we advance,
Confident You will prevail.
Without You, Lord, we have no chance;
With You we can never fail.

Love the Lord

"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might" (Deuteronomy 6:5).

You shall love the Lord your God
With all that is within.
This command is holy sod;
Put off your shoes of sin.

All your heart, your soul, and might
Are summoned now to stand
Before the Lord who has the right
To utter this command.

Love the Lord with all your heart;
This is the human spirit
Where God speaks to our hidden part
His truth, if we will hear it.

Love the Lord with all your soul,
Which makes us self aware,
Where God bids us give Him control
And cast on Him our care.

Love the Lord with all your might,
Your body, strength, and mind,
Where God, through us, reflects His light
With deeds before mankind.

You shall love the Lord your God:
Why do we hesitate?
Does it not seem very odd,
Since His love is so great?

Certainly and Circumspectly

"See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore, be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is" (Ephesians 5:15-17).

God has told us what is certain.
Days are evil in this age.
God will soon draw back the curtain
On this world's final stage.

Things are not as they may seem;
Evil now appears to rule.
Let the dreamer dream his dream;
He shall soon be found a fool.

Days are precious; use them well!
Let's redeem the time for souls!
Press against the gates of hell,
Knowing that our God controls.

Therefore walk with circumspection.
Watch and pray with open eyes.
Seek to know the Lord's direction.
Do His will; be not unwise.